Recording device.



W. HESS, JR.

RECORDING DEVICE. APPLICATION man FEB. 19. 1915.

Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET! W. HESS, JR.

RECORDING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. I9, 1915.

1,182,765. Patented May 9,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WENDELL Hess, an, or TROY, new YORK.

RECORDING DEVICE.

Application filed February 19, 1915.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, VVENDELL Hess, J12, acitizen of the United States residing at Troy, in the county ofRensselaer and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Recording Devices, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates torecording devices of the generaltype describedand claimed in my prior Patent No. 981,421, January 10, 1911.

The invention resides in various details of construction which will beunderstood from the following description taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate the preferred embodiment of theinvention.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the complete device,the case being shown in section; Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof withthe case removed; Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of'the paperfeeding and printing hammer mechanism; Fig. 4 is a side elevationthereof; Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of theprinting hammer head and type wheels; and Fig. 6 is anenlarged'fragmentary view of the printing hammer cam and cam roller.

7 The device is mounted on a base plate 10 from which rise corner posts11. These carry a cap plate 12 to which they are held by nuts 13. Thecap plate 12 has a threaded stud 14 and on this is threaded a clampingwheel 15. The wheel 15 is screwed down against a cover or casing 16 ofsheet metal which is held thereby in sealing engagement with a gasket 17on base plate 10. The removal of wheel 15 and casing 16 is prevented bya padlock 18 passed through a hole 19 in stud 14. This produces a simplecasing giving adequate protection against moisture and mechanicalinjury. Vhen the casing is in place the working parts are completelyinclosed though small openings are necessarily present in the base plate10 j for thepassage of the weight and float chains.

At the rear of the base plate 10 is an upright frame member 20 whichextends upward and is connected to the cap plate 12. The form of. thisframe is clearly shown in Figs.'3 and 4. The frame 20 carries aforwardly extending bar 21 and on this is mounted a clock movement ofsuitable form. This movement is carried by the plates 22 and 23connected together by the pillars 24 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 1916.

Serial No. 9,319.

to form a rigid frame and has the usual gear trains indicated generallyat 25. The dial and hands of the clock are shown at 26. The bar 21 isconnected to the rear plate 22 at the top so that the entire movementmay be angularly adjusted on this baras an axis to aline the hour shaftwith the recording mechanism as will appear. This adjustment isdetermined by a heavy thrust screw 27 which is threaded in a bracket 28on the left hand one of the forward corner posts 11 and bears in thecountersunk recess formed in the lower left hand one of the pillars 24of the clock frame. The thrust screw 27 is so located as to takedirectly the stress imposed on the frame of the clock movement by theclock-driving gear 29 thus avoiding twisting and other harmful stressesin the clock frame. The adjustment of the screw 27 is made at thefactory and after adjustment the screw is babbitted in the bracket 28 toprevent its shifting.

The gear 29 is not mounted in the clock frame, but is journaled on a rod30 which is carried in upstanding frame members 31.

These are mounted on base plate 10 and are tied together, by rods 32.The gear 29 is driven through the usual rewinding pawl 33 and ratchet 34by a sprocket 35. Engaging this sprocket is a drive chain 36 and weight37 similar to those used in ordinary weight driven clocks. A high drivegear ratio to the clock and a heavy weight 37 are used in order tosecure a long period of operation for the clock for a relatively shortdistance of fall for the weight.

A bar 38 is rigidly mounted on frame 20 from which it projects forwardand on this bar are journaled three type wheels 39, 40 and 41. The rearwheel 39 carries types printing 0.01 foot intervals in the position of afloat 42 which is connected to rotate said wheel 39 by means of aperforated phosphor bronze tape 43. This tape 43 runs on a pintoothedsprocket 44 rigidly connected to wheel 39, the teeth entering theperforations in the tape. The tape is held taut by a light counterweight45.

The middle type wheel 40 prints 1.0 foot intervals and is connected tobe shifted by the wheel 39 through a transfer mechanism interposedbetween them. This transfer mechanism may be of any of the typesfamiliar in the art and is not illustrated in the drawings. In thedevice as manufactwo type wheels and operates to shift wheel 40 one typeinterval as wheel 39 shifts between types designating .99 and .00. By,this arrangement the device may be given a very wide range of actionwith type wheels only twelve inches or thereabout in circumference.

The type wheel 41 prints time designations at 15 minute intervalsthrough successive twelve hour periods. It is controlled by the minutehand arbor of the clock through a twelve to one reducing gear trainindicated generally at 46', the terminal gears of the train beingmounted respectively on the minute hand arbor and on a sleeve connectedwith the type wheel 41. Thus the type wheel 41 rotates at the same speedand in the same direction as the hour hand, but as in my prior patent,above identified, this type wheel is driven by the pull of the recordstrip and not by the clock, the clock serving merely to determine itsspeed of rotation.

As in my prior device periodic impressions are taken from the typewheels on a paper tape by means of a hammer platen. This consists of anupstanding arm 47 having a rubber or other platen face 48. The arm 47 isjournaled at its lower end on a rod 49 which extends between a bracket50 and the frame 20. The arm 47 is rather heavily counterweighted at 51so as to have considerable mass and so as to stand under the action ofgravity with the platen face 48 ad jacent to, but just out of pressingcontact with, the type wheels. The counterweight is so located, however,as only sli htly to overbalance the arm 47, and thus allows the platento be moved back by the exertion of slight force. The platen is thusreadily retracted by the clock mechanism, and there is no crampingtendency on the record strip or type wheels due topressure of the hammerplaten after taking an impression. The mass of the arm and counterweightis suflicient to acquire considerable momentum when the arm is releasedand sharp impressions are secured, without the use of much force, as asharp firm impact is all that is required.

The arm 47 is periodically retracted and released at 15 minute intervalsby a cam 52 mounted on the minute hand arbor and having four spiralportions and four intervening substantially radial portions. This camacts on arm 47 through a finger 53 mounted on a stud-54 and having atits end a roller 55. The cam 52 thus acts against the roller 55 toretract the hammer, but just before the point of release is reached ahardened steel shoe 56 at the extreme end of finger 53 comes in contactwith a hardened steel plate 52 mounted on the rear side of the cam 52 atthe tip so that the release finally occurs when the shoe 56 overtravelsthe hardened steel tip or plate 52. Thus the friction reducing effectof. the. cam roller is secured together with a sudden release of thearm.

The blank record strip 58 is wound on a spool 59 and the carbon strip()0 on a spool 61 both journaled on rods carried by frame 20. From thesespools the strips pass in contact around the type wheels 39, 40 and 41,engaging the wheel 41 by means of the needle points 57 projectingtherefrom (see Fig; 5), and are wound upon take-up rolls 62' and 63respectively. The spools 62 and 63 are provided with inter-meshedperipheral gear teeth 6% and hence turn together in opposite directions.

The spools 62 and 63 are journaled on rods 65 and (36 carried by frame20. A gear 67 fast on spool 62 is driven from shaft 68 by a train ofgears 69, 70, 71, 72 and 73. The gears 71 and 72 are journaled on rod 66but turn relatively to spool (53. The shaft 68 is mounted in bearingbrackets 74: and 75 on base 10 and are driven through a pawl 76 andratchet 77 by a sprocket 78. Over this runs a chain 7 9 having a drivingweight 80. As in the case of the clock-driving weight, the weight 80 isrelatively heavy and drives through a high ratio train so as to operatefor a long period on one winding. The work of feeding the record andcarbon strips thus is performed by the weight-driven take up rolls onwhich they are wound, but their rate of movement is controlled by thetime wheel 41 which is connected with, and controlled in its movementsby, the clock, and which engages the strips by means of the projectingneedle points 57.

The advantages of the present construction over the one shown in myprior patent are many. The construction is simple and the parts areaccessible. The use of electric batteries is avoided but withoutimposing any undue load on the clock. Further the proper mounting of theclock movement permitsthe use of heavy weights without subjecting theclock frame to harmful stresses and permits the necessary adjustment inassembling.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is 1. The combinationwith a recording device including a clock and a type wheel controlledthereby, of a weighted hammer platen adapted in its normal positionunder the action of gravity to stand close to but out of pressingcontact with said type Wheel; and a cam driven by said clock and adaptedperiodically to force said platen from said type wheel and then releaseit, said hammer being of suflicient mass to exert aprinting pressureagainst said wheel by its momentum at impact.

2. The combination with a recording device including a clock and a typewheel controlled thereby, of a weighted hammer platen adapted in itsnormal position under the action of gravity to stand close to but out ofpressing contact With said type Wheel; a contact member mounted on saidhammer platen and having an antifriction roller and a rigid shoe; and acam driven by said clock and adapted to engage said roller and retractsaid hammer platen and then engage and over travel said shoe to releasesaid platen.

3. In a recording device the combination of a main frame; a recordingmechanism mounted in said main frame; a clock frame adjustably mountedin said main frame; a clock movement carried in said clock frame,operatively connected to said recording mechanism and adjustable withreference thereto by the adjustment of said clock frame; a propellingdevice for said clock movement mounted independently of the clock framein said main frame; and an ad justable thrust member for receiving thestress exerted upon said clock frame by said clock propelling device andfor effecting the adjustment of said clock frame.

4:. In a recording device the combination of a main frame; a recordingmechanism mounted in said main frame; a clock frame adjustably mountedin said main frame; a clock movement carried in said clock frame,operatively connected to said recording mechanism and adjustable Withreference thereto by the adjustment of said clock frame; a propellingdevice for said clock movement mounted independently of the clock framein said main frame; and an adjusting thrust screw mounted in said mainframe and bearing at its end against said clock frame, to adjust thelatter, and to support the same against the stress exerted thereon bysaid clock propelling device. In testimony whereof I have signed my nameto this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

WENDELL HESS, JR.

WVitnesses:

H. McM. DIBERT, C. S. HALLENBEOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

